Bill Text: TX SB855 | 2021-2022 | 87th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Relating to the electronic dissemination of commercial recordings or audiovisual works.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 2)
Status: (Passed) 2021-06-18 - Effective on 1/1/22 [SB855 Detail]
Download: Texas-2021-SB855-Enrolled.html
| S.B. No. 855 | ||
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| relating to the electronic dissemination of commercial recordings | ||
| or audiovisual works. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Title 14, Business & Commerce Code, is amended by | ||
| adding Chapter 642 to read as follows: | ||
| CHAPTER 642. ELECTRONIC DISSEMINATION OF COMMERCIAL RECORDINGS OR | ||
| AUDIOVISUAL WORKS | ||
| SUBCHAPTER A. GENERAL PROVISIONS | ||
| Sec. 642.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter: | ||
| (1) "Electronic dissemination" means initiating a | ||
| transmission of, making available, or otherwise offering a | ||
| recording or audiovisual work for distribution, display, or | ||
| performance through the Internet or other digital network. | ||
| (2) "Recording or audiovisual work" means a recording | ||
| or audiovisual work that consists of substantially all of the | ||
| recording or work. The term does not include a recording or | ||
| audiovisual work that is a short extract from the recording or work. | ||
| (3) "Website" means a set of related web pages served | ||
| from a single web domain. The term does not include a home page or | ||
| channel page for the user account of a person who is not the owner or | ||
| operator of the website on which the user home page or channel page | ||
| appears. | ||
| Sec. 642.002. COMMERCIAL RECORDING OR AUDIOVISUAL WORK. | ||
| For purposes of this chapter, a recording or audiovisual work is | ||
| considered to be a commercial recording or audiovisual work if the | ||
| owner, assignee, authorized agent, or licensee of the recording or | ||
| work disseminates or intends to disseminate the recording or work | ||
| for sale, rental, or performance or exhibition to the public, | ||
| including under license, regardless of whether the person who | ||
| disseminates the recording or work seeks commercial advantage or | ||
| private financial gain from the dissemination. | ||
| Sec. 642.003. APPLICABILITY. This chapter does not apply | ||
| to a website operated by a radio or television station licensed by | ||
| the Federal Communications Commission. | ||
| Sec. 642.004. NO FINANCIAL LIABILITY FOR CERTAIN PROVIDERS. | ||
| This chapter does not impose financial liability on providers of an | ||
| interactive computer service, communications service, commercial | ||
| mobile service, or information service, including an Internet | ||
| access service provider, an advertising network or exchange, a | ||
| domain name registration provider, and a hosting service provider, | ||
| to the extent that the providers provide the transmission, storage, | ||
| or caching of electronic communications or messages of others or | ||
| provide another related telecommunications service, a commercial | ||
| mobile radio service, or an information service, for use by another | ||
| person that violates this chapter. | ||
| SUBCHAPTER B. REQUIRED DISCLOSURES | ||
| Sec. 642.051. DISCLOSURE OF CERTAIN INFORMATION REQUIRED. | ||
| (a) An owner or operator of a website or online service that deals | ||
| in substantial part in the electronic dissemination of third-party | ||
| commercial recordings or audiovisual works, directly or | ||
| indirectly, and that electronically disseminates those recordings | ||
| or works to consumers in this state shall clearly and conspicuously | ||
| disclose on the website or online service in a location that is | ||
| readily accessible to a consumer using or visiting the website or | ||
| online service, the owner or operator's true and correct: | ||
| (1) name; | ||
| (2) physical address; | ||
| (3) telephone number; and | ||
| (4) e-mail address. | ||
| (b) For purposes of this section, a location is considered | ||
| readily accessible on a website or online service if the location | ||
| is: | ||
| (1) a landing or home web page or screen; | ||
| (2) an "about" or "about us" web page or screen; | ||
| (3) a "contact" or "contact us" web page or screen; | ||
| (4) an informational web page or screen; or | ||
| (5) another place on the website or online service | ||
| commonly used to display information identifying the owner or | ||
| operator of the website or online service. | ||
| (c) Subsection (a) applies regardless of whether another | ||
| person has previously electronically disseminated the same | ||
| recording or audiovisual work. | ||
| SUBCHAPTER C. ENFORCEMENT | ||
| Sec. 642.101. DECLARATORY JUDGMENT OR INJUNCTIVE RELIEF. | ||
| (a) An owner, assignee, authorized agent, or exclusive licensee of | ||
| a commercial recording or audiovisual work electronically | ||
| disseminated by a website or online service in violation of this | ||
| chapter may bring a private cause of action against a person who | ||
| violates or threatens to violate this chapter to obtain: | ||
| (1) a declaratory judgment; and | ||
| (2) permanent or temporary injunctive relief. | ||
| (b) Before filing an action under this section, the | ||
| aggrieved party must provide notice to the person alleged to be in | ||
| violation of this chapter that states: | ||
| (1) the person may be in violation of this chapter; and | ||
| (2) that failure to cure the violation before the 14th | ||
| day after the date of receiving the notice may result in an action | ||
| being filed against the person under this section. | ||
| (c) After the 14th day after the date the aggrieved party | ||
| provides notice under Subsection (b), the aggrieved party may bring | ||
| an action under this section in a court of competent jurisdiction. | ||
| (d) On motion of the party initiating the action, the court | ||
| may make appropriate orders to compel compliance with this chapter. | ||
| (e) The prevailing party is entitled to recover necessary | ||
| expenses incurred in an action under this section, including | ||
| reasonable attorney's fees. | ||
| Sec. 642.102. DECEPTIVE TRADE PRACTICE; REMEDIES. (a) A | ||
| violation of this chapter is a false, misleading, or deceptive act | ||
| or practice as defined by Section 17.46(b). | ||
| (b) The relief provided under this subchapter for a | ||
| violation of this chapter is in addition to any remedy provided | ||
| under other federal or state law, including Subchapter E, Chapter | ||
| 17. | ||
| SECTION 2. This Act takes effect January 1, 2022. | ||
| ______________________________ | ______________________________ | |
| President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | |
| I hereby certify that S.B. No. 855 passed the Senate on | ||
| April 19, 2021, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0; and that | ||
| the Senate concurred in House amendment on May 29, 2021, by the | ||
| following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Secretary of the Senate | ||
| I hereby certify that S.B. No. 855 passed the House, with | ||
| amendment, on May 26, 2021, by the following vote: Yeas 128, | ||
| Nays 19, two present not voting. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
| Approved: | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Date | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Governor | ||
